The alarm woke me at 6.55am and I was more than ready to get up. Roxy woke the kids and we were soon busy finishing the packing and swapping the vehicles around. The Landcruiser and camper ended up out the front, and the two commodores were locked away in the garage. A final toilet run and tyres checking and topped up where necessary and it was time to head off. We were in fact leaving 15 minutes earlier than I had anticipated, so it was looking good. The rain started to fall and the wind was a horrendous north westerly, making it difficult to gather some momentum as we made our way through the ranges. Once past Bendigo the weather cleared, but the wind did not. I watched in horror as the fuel gauge dropped before my eyes and I was not looking forward to the refill in Mildura. We stopped in Wedderburn for morning tea, giving everyone time to have a toilet break, have something to eat and time for Lily to play on the play equipment. I noticed water leaking from the rear water tank area, but I could not determine where it was coming from, thinking it may have gathered under the tank whilst driving in the wet. I couldn't access the water gauge, so until I can I will have to hope that I have not lost any of our water.

We made it to Ouyen for lunch, and after chomping down some chicken and cheese sandwiches James and I had a quick kick of the football and Lily had some time on the play equipment. The wind was still blowing a gale as we drove the final 100km to Mildura. After first stopping at the wrong caravan park, we finally settled into our cabin in the Desert City Caravan Park. Once we had unpacked what we needed, we headed into town to fuel up, before heading to Woolworths to stock up on some fresh fruit and vegetables. The fuel economy was a bad as I suspected, at 24.4 litres per hundred kilometres so I hope that this rate does not continue.

As the park is across the road from the Gateway Tavern, and they have a gluten free menu, we decided to walk across for dinner. The food was highly satisfactory and the short walk home was not enough to burn off the food. The kids made themselves ready for bed, with Lily saying goodnight as James wrote up his journal, I typed up these notes, and Roxy fell asleep on the bed. Tomorrow is a big drive up to Tibooburra in far north west New South Wales so it will be an early night before an early rise tomorrow.

Day Two Thursday 2nd July 2009 – Mildura to Tibooburra:

The alarm went off at 6.30am and the heater was on straight away. It was a chilly morning and we were soon packed up and on the road by 7.45am. We left Mildura and eventually crossed the Murray River into New South Wales at Wentworth. The wind buffeted as we headed north up the Silver City Highway towards Broken Hill. We stopped for morning snack and some wood collecting on the side of the highway before reaching Broken Hill where we filled up the fuel tanks. Continuing on, and with the wind still making the going slow, we left Broken Hill behind us and inched closer to Tibooburra. About an hour out of Broken Hill, we stopped for some lunch. The only good thing about the wind was that no flies annoyed us, but it was difficult to make lunch with the wind blowing away the bread and the lids to the Tupperware containers.

At Packsaddle Roadhouse we stopped for a quick respite and some ice creams before heading back into the wind and the dusty road towards Tibooburra. The sun was dropping in the sky as we neared Milparinka but we didn't have time to stop as we did not want to be setting up after dark. We finally reached Tibooburra at 5.15pm and after paying for a site in the Caravan Park, we found a suitable place to set up camp as fast as we  could. By 6.00 we were set up, washed up and ready to go to the pub for dinner. The Family Hotel hasn't changed a bit since the last time and after asking the chef if she could cook a gluten free meal, we were in luck and soon ordering off the menu. The meals were magnificent with Lily enjoying nuggets and chips, James wolfing down calamari and chips, Roxy enjoying steak and vegetables and I had the biggest chicken schnitzel I have ever seen. I think it was two breast fillets joined together, as it covered the whole plate. After really enjoying dinner, we headed back to the Caravan Park and the kids had showers before heading to bed. Roxy and I soon followed as I was tired after a long couple of days behind the wheel.  

Day Three Friday 3rd July 2009 – Tibooburra to Innamincka:

It was another early morning rise, but it took us two hours to pack up. I had also reorganised the roof rack so that I had some space at the back to carry the firewood better. I topped up the fuel tanks before we drove back out of town and turned off towards Cameron Corner. We passed a few kangaroos as they fed on the side of the track and before we entered the Sturt National Park, we collected a little bit more wood. Just before we stopped for wood, we had come across an emu who wanted to sit next to Lily in the truck, but had a double take on closer inspection. I didn't feel that we had hit it, but when we stopped for wood I noticed that the charge wires from the truck to the camper had been destroyed. The emu must have slid between the back of the truck and the camper and only taken the wires out instead of being run over by the camper. The road through the Park was as corrugated as ever and so we were glad to reach the Corner.

The typical photos were taken as various people stood in the different states - either Queensland, New South Wales or South Australia. Next stop was the Corner Store for a beer and some soft drinks, then we continued on the road to Bollards Lagoon. Depositing our $10 in the honesty box and collecting our mud map, we turned up the Bore Track. I had never taken this route before so it was nice to be on a new track to Innamincka. Being a station track it was not maintained but with a couple of large salt pans to cross, the trip was relatively smooth. We had lunch on the side of the track before continuing along and entering the Innamincka Regional Reserve. On reaching the junction with a road that would take us onto the Strzelecki Track, we turned left. It didn't take long to reach the Strzelecki before we turned right and headed towards Innamincka. Upon reaching Innamincka, we drove directly into the town common and found a campsite right at the spot James and I had spread Mum's ashes 5 years previously.

The weather was starting to warm up and a sweat and thirst was raised during the set up. It was 4pm so we decided to head up to the Hotel for a couple of drinks. The chicken we had pulled out hadn't defrosted so we decided to have dinner at the Hotel as well. I was shocked to discover the "Outamincka Bar" that has been added to the Hotel since the last time James and I were here. A buffet was the grub for the night, and we were lucky enough to secure the last non-reserved table. Roxy didn't have much of a selection but the kids and I did, especially enjoying the mini damper bread rolls. When Roxy went back for some more roast beef there was none left, but the chef happened to ask what Roxy was after, and after she explained she was a coeliac, he said he would cook her steak and chips - legend!. James and Lily finished their dinner just as the movie was starting outside on the large screen. It was Walle, so not only were the kids happy, so were Roxy and I. After Roxy had finished her steak and chips, we joined the kids out by the fire and watched the rest of the movie. Once finished, we headed back to camp and went to bed, it was another long day and from now on we could all relax.

 Day Four Saturday 4th July 2009 – Innamincka:

It was a beautiful morning, with not a cloud in the sky and only a slight breeze. The birds were up and had been for awhile when Roxy and I finally crawled out of bed. Today was a relaxing day spent reading, fishing and generally relaxing. This was a joy and very much needed after three long days behind the wheel. After lunch we went and checked out the store, that enabled us to purchase Innamincka postcards that Roxy wanted to use for thank you cards. I started preparing dinner while Roxy gave herself writers cramp as she wrote out all the thank you's. As the sun set dinner was ready to serve when the local lady turned up to check on whether fees had been paid to camp. As we chatted I thought I had turned the bbq off, but once the lady had left I realised that I had turned the flame up to maximum and so had burnt our marinated lamb back straps. Thankfully it wasn't that much of a tragedy, they still tasted magnificent as we sat around the fire. Once dinner was eaten and the dishes done, we retired by the fire for a little while before heading to bed early.

Day Five Sunday 5th July 2009 – Innamincka:

Day Twelve Sunday 12th July 2009 – Welford National Park:

We all had a sleep in which was a nice change and we certainly didn't miss the sounds of screeching galahs. The day was spent lazing around camp. I was able to repair the emu damaged wiring by cutting and soldering the wires into the new Anderson plugs. I also had to cut and solder a new Anderson plug on the camper as the emu had also damaged that. We had had no luck in catching any shrimp so James was having to use the freshwater soft baits that we had in the tackle box but they weren't helping him or me catch any fish. Lily even had a go fishing for the first time, and her patience was a joy. Dinner was marinated chicken breasts for Roxy and I while the kids had chicken schnitzels with some roast potatoes and mixed vegetables. Being such a lazy day, it was also an early night.

Day Thirteen Monday 13th July 2009 – Welford National Park:

We were up reasonably early as we had decided to do a couple of the park drives. We started with the Desert Drive that took us into the dune country similar to the Simpson Desert. There was lots of old fencing, stock troughs and watering points from the days when the National Park was a working station. There was also a large number of kangaroos that we disturbed from their early morning grazing and we had to be alert as they kept jumping out in front of us. The track eventually brought us out onto the Jundah Road so we turned right and headed back to the Rangers Station before following the Mulga Track out to Sawyers Lookout that gave us views across the mulga country. On the way back to camp, we picked up the River Track that took us to "The Jetty", a group of rocks that stretched out into the Barcoo River like a jetty. Back at camp we had some lunch before we decided to drive up to Jundah for a look around. We also took our shower gear in case we could get a shower at the caravan park. We were surprised to find fantastic shower facilities free to the public that allowed us all to refresh our bodies in nice clean water. We donated a few coins into the honest box for the caravan park before driving to the store to top up the fuel tanks at $1.54 per litre. We also picked up some cans of soft drink before stopping at the pub for some takeaways. On the way back to camp we stopped at the tip to dispose of our rubbish and then continued home. We spent a couple of hours packing up camp before we had dinner consisting of reheated casserole, mashed potatoes and vegetables in front of a roaring fire. We hit the hay early as we have a long day in front of us tomorrow as we head to Birdsville.

Day Fourteen Tuesday 14th July 2009 – Welford National Park to Birdsville:

Up at 6.30am, we packed up quickly and were on the road by 8.30am. I wanted a photo of the cruiser crossing the Barcoo so I stopped just before, jumped out and asked Roxy to drive. Before she could say no, I was running across the bridge. In the middle of the bridge was a dead kangaroo, but I was sure that it would be fine. I started taking shots as Roxy slowly made her way down the hill and onto the bridge. She stopped the truck just before the dead kangaroo, then suddenly Roxy revved hard, dropped the clutch and proceeded to drive over the poor, already dead, kangaroo! Across the bridge and up the hill, Roxy stopped the truck and hurriedly got out! I was laughing uncontrollably but poor Roxy was unimpressed. I took some photos of some brolgas and a large wild boar while Roxy put out rubbish in the roadside bins. We took the dirt road from Retreat towards Windorah, reaching the bitumen near the Cooper Creek crossing. We could tell from the number of people camping at the crossing that it is a nice free camp site. We stopped at Windorah to empty the porta loo and buy a magnet before continuing along the bitumen to the Birdsville Development Road. It was bitumen for the first 5 kms past the turn off, before turning into a dusty road.

The wind was blowing strongly so when we pulled over for lunch, the kids preferred to eat their noodles inside the truck. There was a lot of road works along the way, that dropped the speed to 40kmh that made the day longer. On arrival at Birdsville, we first went to the car wash to rinse the truck and the camper before driving to the famous Birdsville Hotel for some liquid refreshments. The time moved quickly so when we reached the caravan park, the queue was long and not moving too quickly. Roxy went and joined the others in line in the office while I maneuvered our way into the line.  It was still very windy as we set up camp, and it was difficult to set up both the camper and the Oztent on the small site, but as we are only here for two nights we managed. Once set up we walked back to the Hotel in time to get a table for dinner and it turned out to be a good thing, as by 6.00pm the places was full. Dinner was fantastic, and Roxy and I are both impressed in how easy it is to get gluten free meals in the outback, maybe city pubs and restaurants could learn a thing or two. Once the kids had finished their hot chocolates, that Lily ordered and paid for at the bar with confidence, we walked back to camp. After enjoying nice hot showers, we all went to bed after a long day in the saddle.

Day Fifteen Wednesday 15th July 2009 – Birdsville:

The wind was still blowing when we awoke this morning. With plans to visit the Working Museum, Big Red, Ruth, shopping, and cleaning the camper, it was going to be a busy day. First things first we walked across to the roadhouse to check out what supplies we could get, but things were light on as it was so busy. Next we drove around to Ruth's place to find her home. It was great to catch up again after 4 years and even though Ian was in Bedourie we had a great chat and got to see some fantastic photos of big fish, Eyre Creek in flood and even ice on the bird bath at Ruth and Ian's other house. We soon had to leave as the next show at the Working Museum was due to start at 11.00am. The tour had started when we arrived but we hadn't missed much. The rules of "no photos" and "no questions" until the end of the show were explained to us as we were directed through the gate. The tour hadn't lost its appeal and I think the kids really enjoyed themselves and the explanation of things by John Menzies. After the tour we went back to camp for lunch before driving out to Big Red for a bit of a play. The dune was as challenging  as ever, with the wind blowing a gale making the top of the dune very soft. After a couple of misfires, one with the handbrake left on, we finally made it up and over the big dune. There was a group of farmers from Hay on holidays, so we watched a couple of them get over the top before we drove down the east side of the dune, aired up again, and drove back to Birdsville. Back at camp we gave the camper a bit of a clean and repack before cooking dinner on the bbq. Once the dishes were done, and showers completed, we had another early night.

Day Sixteen Friday 16th July 2009 – Birdsville to Clayton's Bore:

The wind was still causing grief as we packed up for our drive down the Birdsville Track, sorry highway, to Clayton's Bore. We reached Mungerannie in time for lunch and even here we were able to get a gluten free lunch for Roxy, a steak sandwich without the bread. The chef thought she had some GF bread, but unfortunately they had run out. Lunch was nice and after having a look at the Mungerannie wetlands, we continued on our way. Before we reached Clayton's Bore, a dickhead driving too fast, like many of the novice tourists, flicked up a large stone that struck the middle of the windscreen leaving a large mark, but thankfully not shattering the windscreen itself. Soon after we crossed the Cooper Creek again, but this was the dry end of the creek. We had one more stop to collect some firewood before finally pulling into Clayton's Bore. There were two other campers set up, but we found a nice spot anyway. Once setup we all pulled the togs on and strolled up to the bore for a nice hot spa. Once we were refreshed, we headed back to camp to prepare dinner. James lit the fire while I cooked schnitzels for the kids and reheated casserole for us as well as mash potato and mixed vegetables. We enjoyed some time by the fire before doing the dishes and heading to bed.

Day Seventeen Saturday 17th July 2009 – Clayton's Bore to Rawnsley Park Station:

It was another early rise and bitterly cold, even the toothpaste was frost bitten. We had an easy pack up and were back on the Birdsville highway nice and early. It was under 50km to Maree, so the town was still only starting to stir when we arrived. Roxy went to the store to buy a magnet before we continued on our way. The bitumen extended for a fair way out of Maree, but thankfully I delayed airing up the tyres as we were soon back on the dirt until we reached Lyndhurst. As we drove into Lyndhurst, the phone started buzzing as message after message downloaded onto my phone. I aired up the tyres while trying to read the important messages and delete the work related ones. Roxy purchased another magnet and we continued on our way. The next stop was at the Leigh Creek Coal Mine No. 1 for a couple of photo opportunities and then we stopped at the Copley Bakery, famous for its quandong pies. There were no options for Roxy though, so we continued onto Leigh Creek, where I knew there was a good supermarket. After Roxy and I wandered around for a bit, filling our shopping basket as we went, we were able to pick up some more necessary supplies, as well as some lunch options for Roxy.  Lunch for the kids and I was purchased from a cafe, pies and a sausage roll before I went and stocked up on some more beer at the pub. After packing away the shopping, we continued on our way, not stopping again until we had turned off on the scenic route to cut across from the Hawker Leigh Creek road to the Hawker Wilpena Road. The scenery was very green and there were lots of kangaroos and emus along the way. The track was a bit muddy in places too, so by the time we reached Rawnsley Park, the front of the camper was covered in red mud.

The powered site that we were allocated was not level, so no matter what we tried, we could not get the camper level enough to unhitch. Time and again the camper would be pulled of the levelers as I tried to drive the truck off, so I was getting very frustrated. Eventually I gave up and Roxy went back to the office to see about swapping sites. We were able to use the site next door, but it meant we had to borrow an extension lead from the office to connect up to power. Once set up, Roxy and I headed down to the laundry to wash our growing pile of dirty laundry. James and Lily had showers while I waited around to get a clothes dryer once the clothes were washed. Four loads later, and with both dryers operating, we took up residence in the campers kitchen to cook dinner of pasta with bolognaise sauce. Once dinner was finished, and the dishes were done, we waited until all the clothes were dry before folding them ready to pack away back at camp. We had bought a bag of firewood, but as we had spent most of the evening at the campers kitchen, it didn't get used. Maybe tomorrow night as we had an early night after an early rise and the night was very cold.

Day Eighteen Sunday 18th July 2009 – Rawnsley Park Station:

We all enjoyed a sleep in this morning and the wake up shower was very refreshing. We walked up to the kitchen to have our breakfast before spending a lazy morning around camp. After lunch, we went on one of the self guided walks that are on Rawnsley Park. It was a very scenic walk that I think even Lily enjoyed. The pace was nice and easy, as were the climbs and descents and as we were taking our time, it was nearly dinner time when we returned to camp. Dinner was sausages for the kids and marinated fillet steak for the adults, along with mashed potatoes and vegetables. As it was cold, we stayed up in the kitchen for awhile, before heading back to a tragic fire at camp. It was so pathetic, we all went to bed.

Day Nineteen Monday 19th July 2009 – Rawnsley Park Station:

Another big sleep in was enjoyed before heading off on a one of the longest self guided walks. The initial climb to the top of the spur took its toll and Lily and Roxy had to return to camp half way. James and I continued on, walking along the ridge of the mountain range for another hour before we reached the ? cave. Once we had taken some photos, we decided to take a circular walk back to camp, and so I was knackered by the time we eventually got back at lunchtime, having hiked for 2 ½ hours. We bought some pies and a sausage roll from the shop, and heated them up in the microwave in the kitchen. After lunch we packed up as much as we could then it was time to shower and dress up before driving to the Woolshed Restaurant for dinner. The food was fantastic, and it was nice to have a night off from cooking. After dinner we drove back to camp and headed to bed as tomorrow is a long day on the road.

Day Twenty Tuesday 20th July 2009 – Rawnsley Park Station to Mildura:

It was a very early rise, and the shower was hot but freezing once I was out. The sun was poking its head over the horizon as I walked back to camp and it was a nice quick pack up as we got away early. We stopped at Hawker for fuel and a magnet and then continued on. Peterborough came and went, and it was just before Renmark that we stopped for lunch as the pies, and sausages had been heated enough in the 12 volt oven. We stopped again at Renmark to fill up on some cheap fuel, $1.10 per litre. The final stretch to Mildura was draining and along the way we decided to upgrade to an executive cabin so that we wouldn't have to unpack anything as all linen was included in the not too bad price. We rolled into Mildura at 4.00pm and I was stuffed. Once we had settled in, Roxy and I walked across the road to the shopping centre to buy some snacks for the drive home tomorrow before cooking dinner of pasta and the last of the bolognaise sauce. It wasn't long before my eyelids were struggling to stay open and so we all went to bed, home tomorrow.

Day Twenty One Wednesday 21st July 2009 – Mildura to Sunbury:

I was up first and enjoyed another hot shower. Roxy hit the showers once I was out as I raised the kids and made sandwiches for lunch. We were away early and the drive was nice and relaxing as we made our way south. We stopped at Charlton for some after lunch treats and a cup of tea for Roxy before continuing on to Wedderburn where we stopped for lunch at the same place as on day one of the trip. It was a bit colder this time around, so the kids sat in the truck and ate. Once Roxy and I had finished our sandwiches, we continued on our way, lunch treats eaten as we drove. We made very good time and it was with much sadness from all but Lily when we drove into Sunbury. Once home we had enough time to unpack before I took the truck and camper down for a quick wash. Once back home, the camper was set up and cleaned before finally being parked in the garage again, her duties over until the next time.

This trip totalled over 4000kms and we had an absolute ball. We saw lots of wonderful sights and nature turned on her charms with greenery and wildlife like I had never seen in the areas that we went. Everyone got on famously and Lily saw and did lots of firsts. Roxy and I learnt a lot, and we will be better organised once we incorporate the things we thought of to make travelling easier for us all. This was a fantastic honeymoon and I guarantee we have many more kilometres to travel together, especially when Roxy takes the wheel more often. Until the next time ......................................